Kristian Garic

Kristian: Who the Saints may target in free agency

by Kristian Garic, kristian@wwl.com,posted Mar 4 2013 1:07PM

NFL free agency begins on March 12th, with the Saints as it stands now about $2 million over the $123 million cap. However, the team still has some wiggle room to save a ton of cap space with the contracts of Will Smith, Jonathan Vilma, and Roman Harper. Below is a list of some free agents the Saints could target on the open market.

Sebastian Volmer (Offensive Tackle) New England: If he doesn't re-sign with New England, and the if the Saints lose Jermon Bushrod, this is the most logical move for New Orleans. Brady loves him, and Brees would love Volmer protecting him as well.

Andre Smith (Offensive Tackle) Cincinnati: Again, all of this is predicated upon if they keep Jermon Bushrod in New Olreans. The Saints might want to upgrade at the position. Smith struggled with weight issues coming into the NFL out of Alabama. He's no longer the big bowl of jelly that he was when he entered the league.

Dashon Goldson (Safety) San Francisco: He played on one of the best defenses in the league the previous two seasons. Goldson is a flat out playmaker that hits everything moving. The Saints could have him as their top target in free agency. Malcolm Jenkins has 4 interceptions since coming into the league in 2009. Roman Harper has 6 interceptions in 7 NFL seasons. Goldson has 14 INT's in 6 seasons. Get my point? Goldson is expected to demand $8 million a year on the open market, possibly pricing the Saints out of the discussion.

William Moore (Safety) Atlanta: Yeah, as much as it might hurt to have another dirty bird in Black and Gold, Moore is a good football player. He's not really dynamic at one particular thing but does everything well. The Falcons, however, want to re-sign Moore before the start of free agency.

Tracy Porter (Cornerback) Denver: Believe it or not, the Hero of Super Bowl 44 could be back in the Big Easy. Porter clinched the Saints Super Bowl victory over the Colts, and after one year in Denver could find his way back to the Saints. Porter missed most of the season with the Broncos with an undisclosed illness. He signed a 1 year deal with Denver last offseason.

Delanie Walker (Tight End) San Francisco: Make no mistake, Jimmy Graham is the featured tight end in New Orleans, but Walker is used to being the complimentary piece of the puzzle. He filled the same role with San Francisco, with Vernon Davis as the main attraction. Walker can block, and catch the football. The Saints would love to add a compliment to Graham in the passing and running game.

Danny Woodhead (Running back) New England: The Saints love running backs, and I just figured why not. Why would he be an interesting name to kick around? Sure the Saints already have Darren Sproles, but heck that hasn't stopped them from adding running backs in the past. What a cool name! Woodhead! Say it! Woodhead!

the saints might go after home town ed reed maybe Charles woodson because he gonna come cheap coming off a injury.. just to name a few..

03/05/2013 9:00AM

Can the Saints Even Target Free Agents With the Cap Situation?

It's no secret the Saints have salary cap woes, but even with all the restructuring, can we realistically target as many free agents as we signed last season? We definitely have many needs, mostly on defense. While some of these names would be nice in a Saints uniform, it doesn't appear that many of them are realistic. Danny Woodhead? The Saints already have one back too many, and I'm still surprised they kept 5 (Thomas, Ingram, Sproles, Ivory, Cadet) on the roster last season. If Tracy Porter can stay healthy, I'd love to see him back in N.O. this season.

03/05/2013 9:44AM

don't agree about Woodhead

I agree with all of the above options except Woodhead. The Saints already have too many backs with Sproles, Ivory, Thomas, Ingram, and Cadet. In fact, I think we need to trade two of our backs away for more draft picks. I'd like to see the Saints trade Ingram for maybe a 3rd or 4th round draft pick.

03/05/2013 9:47AM

linebacker

Why not Michael Boley??

03/05/2013 11:06AM

Tracy Porter and Greer

Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer together was the best secondary the Saints have had since Sean Payton got here. I'm sorry, Pat Robinson is a good nickelback, Tracy Porter is a legit starter in this league.

03/05/2013 3:15PM

Rod Guidry in Sacramento

GM(Genius Man)Mickey Loomis knows how to get the salary cap issues under control. The Saints will have room after he's done to sign 3 or 4 free agents. You watch and see, you can bank on it. He is the best GM in the NFL!

03/05/2013 5:11PM

Michael boley????

we don't want him he bout 50 years old.. if gone take someone it would be someone like van dan bosh, dwighlt freeney, Charles woodson, ed reed, glotson from the 49ers, talib from the patriots.. Tracy porter, Chris
gamble, William Moore, dunta Robertson maybe..

03/11/2013 11:14AM

Home Grown

PATRICK JOHNSON OF NEW ORLEANS,to me they don't do enough searching at home,U have a player like Laron Landry from La.and I think it would be a shame if they don't pick him up and we need help at the safety spot and then they could move Jenkins back to corner